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The Otters coach knows, however, he can’t really stop his players from watching the opening game of the 2017 Memorial Cup on television at the team hotel.

In fact, Knoblauch was certain his captain, Dylan Strome, would be glued to the TV.

“I know with Dylan I won’t be able to keep him away from the TV because he loves hockey and he wants to know every single player, he might even be watching how they win faceoffs and all those tendencies,” Knoblauch said on Thursday.

“(Generally) players see small windows of the game and they try to make an impression from it, and usually it’s not a correct one.”

The host Windsor Spitfires and the Saint John Sea Dogs, the champions of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, open the 99th Cup on Friday night; on Saturday afternoon, the Ontario Hockey League champion Otters will meet the Seattle Thunderbirds, champs in the Western Hockey League, in the second game of the tournament.

There’s no clear-cut favourite. At the same time, it would be foolish to assume the Spitfires, who have not played since April 4, when they lost in Game 7 of the opening around of the OHL playoffs against the London Knights, will be easy fodder. The Spits not only have the benefit of playing in their home arena, but boast a roster littered with NHL prospects, including forwards Jeremy Bracco (Toronto), Logan Brown (Ottawa) and Graham Knott (Chicago) and defencemen Mikhail Sergachev (Montreal) and Logan Stanley (Winnipeg). Centre Gabriel Vilardi is the highest-ranked player in the tournament for the NHL draft in June and likely will be a top-10 selection.

If you had to pick one team to be crowned champs on May 28, though, it would be hard to argue with the Otters.

They’ve become a battle-hardened group during the past several seasons, with previous post-season failings washed away by finally winning the J. Ross Robertson Cup, beating the Mississauga Steelheads.

That’s not enough for Strome and his teammates.

“I watched my brother (Ryan) play four years in the OHL (briefly with the Barrie Colts and then the Niagara IceDogs) and he never got this opportunity,” Strome said. “It’s basically a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“We’re a little bit nervous, a little on edge, and I’m sure this building is going to be loud and buzzing. Being at the Memorial Cup is something you want to do as soon as you get to the OHL.”

Strome’s approach upon being returned to the Otters by the Arizona Coyotes last November was to concentrate on leading the club to a championship; in the previous three regular seasons, the Otters had won at least 50 games, but there was no playoff prize at the end.

“Dylan was disappointed (with being cut by the Coyotes), but why wouldn’t you want to be in the NHL?” Knoblauch said. “I think he was motivated because of two things. We had been so close to winning a championship, so that was something that he was eager to accomplish. The other one was gold at the world junior. He came up one goal short of accomplishing that (when Canada lost to the United States in the gold-medal game), so hopefully we can accomplish the Memorial Cup.”

A strong group — headed by Strome, Alex DeBrincat, who scores goals (167 in 191 games in three seasons) as commonly as some people take breaths, and Raddysh brothers Taylor and Darren — was solidified when general manager Dave Brown acquired forwards Anthony Cirelli and Warren Foegele in January.

Consider that those six players scored 15 of the Otters’ 16 game-winning goals in the playoffs.

There’s no saying with certainty what would have become of the Otters’ season had Strome not been returned or if he had lugged around a sour attitude upon coming back. DeBrincat, disappointed at not being a part of the U.S. team at the world junior, put that aside as well.

For his part, Strome will leave nothing to chance in what will be his final week in junior hockey.

So expect him to do some hockey homework on Friday night, finding a comfy spot in the team’s hotel lounge to watch the Spitfires and Sea Dogs do battle.

“Guys have different things they do the day before the game,” Strome said. “I’m a guy who likes to watch hockey, and there’s going to be an NHL game on too.

“We’ve been through a long playoff grind, but we’re looking forward to starting.”

HAPPY TO BE 'ROLE PLAYER'

Anthony Cirelli had no trouble taking a back seat.

Upon being acquired by the Erie Otters from the Oshawa Generals in January, Cirelli, who was the Generals’ captain, happily became another guy in the Otters dressing room.

“They brought me in to help them win and be a role player, and they had Stromer (Dylan Strome) and he’s an unbelievable captain,” Cirelli said. “It’s his team and I’m in the background. We’re a tight group and everyone says (things) to further the team.”

In the coming days, Cirelli will spread as much Memorial Cup knowledge as he can. Two years ago in Quebec City, Cirelli scored both Generals goals in the championship game, including the overtime winner, as Oshawa beat the Kelowna Rockets to win the Cup.

Last Friday in Erie, Cirelli scored in overtime in Game 5 of the OHL final against the Mississauga Steelheads, giving the Otters their first championship since 2002.

Cirelli and Warren Foegele, acquired from Kingston in January, have been crucial on-ice pieces. Foegele scored the series-clinching goal against London in the second round and went on to be named the MVP of the OHL playoffs.

“Without those two, I don’t think we would be here,” Otters coach Kris Knoblauch said.